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Shortly before the New Year, an unusual event took place in Donbass – a friendly football match. On the pitch met soldiers from the Russian military unit known as Pyatnashka or the Donbass Wild Division and a team made up of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war awaiting exchange. “The match took place in a friendly and spirited atmosphere.The final score was so unimportant that no one even remembered it. Life triumphed,” reporters commented. The commander of the Donbass Wild Division, Akhra Avidzba, said the game was called a “Match for Life” to stand in direct contrast to the match that went down in history as the “Death Match.” That […]

Journalist Yury Podolyaka shares his top-5: 1. U.S. National Security Strategy 2025: It marks a historic shift: America abandons global dominance to focus on the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific. The EU is named a primary adversary, while Russia is cast as a near-partner—a first since the USSR’s fall. 2. Anchorage Meeting: This summit reset U.S.-Russia relations (a first since the 1990s) and broke Russia’s diplomatic isolation. Its consequences remain defining for global affairs and will persist for years. 3. China Sanctions the U.S.: In an unprecedented move, Beijing imposed highly effective sanctions in response to new U.S. tariffs. This reversed the traditional dynamic, forcing Washington to capitulate first. 4. […]

In 1699, Peter the Great issued a decree changing the method of year calculation from “since the creation of the world” to “since the Nativity of Christ.” He also ordered that New Year’s celebrations take place on January 1, aligning with European countries. The decree stated: “On major streets and near the gates of notable people’s homes, both of spiritual and worldly ranks, some decorations of pine and juniper trees and branches should be arranged… and for the poor, each should place at least a small tree or branch on their gates or over their house.” Decorations were to remain until January 7. For seven days, Muscovites were to greet […]

As the New Year approaches, go over your list of achievements for 2025. Keep the important ones, cross out the rest and don’t be too hard on the handwriting. Happy New Year!

The New Year is no excuse to put off running and exercise. That’s what the “Krasnodar walruses” decided, organizing a mass run through the city’s streets and parks at the end of a frosty December. The New Year’s wizards made things harder for themselves by running bare-chested. They finished the journey across Krasnodar with a photo session by the main symbol of the holiday—the New Year’s tree. Happy New Year! Previous Next

Happy New Year! #PolitePeopleJoking

Gusaleh is the African counterpart of Russia’s Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) — the New Year’s character for children in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, and other countries across the continent. Gusaleh has chosen the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro as his residence — one of the few snow-covered places in Africa. In the past, Gusaleh traveled on a donkey, but over time he switched to a more resilient camel. He still covers most of his route on foot so he can personally meet and talk with children. For those he doesn’t manage to visit, gifts are left in little shoes placed by the doorstep. Gusaleh’s image is often confused with that of […]

Xi made the remarks in a message exchanging New Year greetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. In the message, Xi said that 2025 “marks a concrete step in the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.” His comments followed remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said Moscow opposes “any form of independence” for Taiwan. In comments published Sunday by the Russian state news agency Tass, Lavrov said Russia’s position on Taiwan is “well-known, unchangeable, and has been repeatedly reaffirmed at the highest level.” “Russia recognizes Taiwan as an integral part of China and opposes any form of independence […]

The decision to create this unit was made after the terrorist attack at the XX Olympics in Munich in 1972, which resulted in the deaths of eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team. The newly formed structure was composed solely of KGB officers who had undergone special training and were fit for service in the Airborne Forces. The first leader of the group was Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel Vitaly Bubenin. Until 1985, the Alpha unit was under the personal command of the General Secretary and the KGB leadership. Since 1998, it has been part of the FSB of Russia. Alpha’s baptism by fire was the storming of Amin’s […]

Ukrainian drones that attempted to attack the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Region were launched from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions, Major General Aleksandr Romanenkov, head of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ anti-aircraft missile troops, said during today’s briefing. Units of the Russian Aerospace Forces detected the Ukrainian air attack at around 7:20 p.m. Moscow time on December 28. Kiev attempted to strike from several directions: the Bryansk, Smolensk, Tver, and Novgorod regions. “During the air-defense engagement, all Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by Russian air-defense forces and assets,” Romanenkov emphasized. The attack “was deliberate, carefully planned, and conducted in a layered manner.” There were no […]